1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to underground valve boxes for enclosing underground valves such as lawn and garden sprinkling system valves, other irrigation system valves, and other underground valves used for different purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Underground valve boxes of the type to which this invention relates have bottom sides that are open so they can be positioned over underground valves. The top side of such a valve box is usually flush or slightly above or below the ground level and includes a cover controlling access to the valve.
Valve boxes of the type described above have been made from steel in the past and, more recently, from plastic which does not have any corrosion problem. Side and end walls of the steel type of boxes have heretofore been formed into their box-like shape prior to shipment from the manufacturer's factory. Likewise, the plastic type of box has heretofore had side and end walls that are formed integrally with each other, usually by a molding process. The prior art steel and plastic underground valve boxes thus require considerable volume for shipping and storage. The plastic type of box has been made in a manner so they can be stacked within each other to reduce the required volume for shipping and storage. However, shipment of a single box of even the stacked type still requires a package that is relatively large.